Second Chances
by Rose Stetson
Summary: Jack and Sam are faced with some interesting decisions when Jack is asked to watch a little girl for the day. FINISHED! HALLELUJAH!
1. Spending the Day with Suzie

Second Chances

Season 8, maybe AU Season 9- after "Threads"

Sam Carter was going for a run through the park near her home, enjoying the coolness of the October breeze when she passed a man playing Frisbee with a little girl, whom she assumed to be his daughter. The sight had been so touching that she had stopped running to watch them. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she bent over to catch some deep breaths.

Her eyes never left them, and Sam smiled until she realized that the man playing with his 'daughter' was Brigadier General Jack O'Neill. Yep, there was no mistaking that unruly gray hair, the lean frame, the smile that made her weak at the knees…

He seemed to realize that someone was watching them because he looked in her direction a few moments later, his eyes catching her own. He motioned for her to join them. "Carter!"

They began to walk toward each other, a little four-year-old girl practically running to catch up with Jack's stride. "Hi, sir."

"Carter! Whatcha doin'?"

"Just out for a run." She said with a smile. "Who's this?" She asked, motioning to the little girl who was clutching Jack's leg and barely looking out from around it.

"This is my friend, Suzie. She's spending the day with me." He put one hand on Suzie's back as he turned and tried to face her. "Suzie, this is my friend Sam."

Sam knelt down on the ground. "Hi, Suzie." You know, you look really cute today."

The bashful child just nodded, refusing to look Sam in the eyes.

"Did you know that one of Sam's favorite colors is blue?" Jack asked.

She turned her innocent eyes up eagerly to peer into Jack's face. "Mine too."

Sam smiled, her eyes glancing up at her commanding officer. He looked so great in the jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket he was wearing.

"Your favorite color is blue too? That's great! Do you know what the Co- Jack's favorite color is?"

The little girl looked at Sam, confused. "Who's Jack?"

Sam looked at her commanding officer, her own confusion evident on her face.

"Actually, Suzie, Sam meant me. What's my favorite color?"

"Wed." She blurted, before hiding once more behind Jack's pant leg.

"Red? I never would have guessed." She said, giving Jack an amused look. He shrugged, and Sam turned her attention back to the little girl. "Who's on your shirt?"

"'Rella." Was the muffled response.

"Cinderella? She's one of my favorite Disney characters."

A bell rang in the distance and the blond-haired Suzie turned her green eyes toward Jack, hopefully. "May I please have an ice cream, Johnny?"

Jack shook is head as Sam turned her head to observe him more closely. Johnny?

"Nope. It's too close to lunchtime. But I have an idea." He knelt down and whispered something into her ear.

Something inside Sam melted at the sight of Jack with little Suzie. Sure, she had seen Jack with Cassie and with many other children through the years that she had worked with him, but…none of them had been quite this small. And he had never been quite so…paternal. It was a new side to him that she had only glimpsed before. Completely different from the military personality that she had seen on countless occasions.

"Sam?" The little girl's voice began, penetrating her thoughts.

"Yes, Suzie?"

"Do you want to come and have lunch with us?"

She looked up at Jack who smiled.

"I would love to. But you and…Johnny, would have to wait for a few minutes while I change out of my running outfit, okay?"

Suzie looked up at Jack who nodded. "We'd love to have you, Carter. Meet us here in-?"

"Fifteen minutes, sir."

"Okay."

She smiled and started to walk up the hill toward her house.

"Carter!"

She turned. "Yes, sir?"

"Nice tank top."

She looked down and blushed when she realized that her top looked remarkably like the one she'd worn during their…encounter after she'd been infected with the Virus of the Touched.

Then, eyeing the little girl, standing innocently beside him, she swallowed an insubordinate 'bite me,' and simply smiled. "You should know."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived back at the park to find Jack pushing Suzie in a swing. She was dressed casually in jeans, sandals, a tank top and a sheer overlay. "Hi." 

Jack stopped the swing and Suzie jumped off of it. "You look great, Carter."

Suzie gave him a look of impatience. "Let's go!"

Jack and Sam chuckled. "You heard the little lady, Carter. Move out!"

They drove to McDonald's where Suzie took Sam by the hand and raced to the playground where Sam sat at one of the tables while Suzie began exploring the many facets of the playground. Every once in a while, Suzie would look out a window and wave, calling out Sam's name, and she would return the smiles.

"You gonna eat something or ya gonna sit around and watch her play all day?" Jack asked as he walked toward her with a tray of food.

"Oh, sir!"

He chuckled. "It's Jack. Or Johnny. Depending on which you prefer."

She smiled as she scooted over to let her commanding officer onto the bench. "So, how'd you meet Suzie?"

She's the granddaughter of one of my neighbors. She needed me to watch her for the day."

"Well, she knows you a lot better than I would expect from someone who's just watching her for the day." Sam observed, watching him.

"Yeah, well, Joyce has to have dialysis. I watch Suzie whenever I can."

"She lives with her grandmother?"

He nodded. "Her parents' rights were terminated when they began using drugs."

She watched Suzie who was now playing happily in the room filled with big rubber balls. "That's terrible."

"Yeah. She was only three when she started living with Joyce. Fortunately, her parents voluntarily terminated their rights. It wasn't quite as messy as having the courts forcibly terminate them."

She looked at Jack. "You love her, don't you?"

"How can anyone not love a child?" He asked, simply.

"Johnny! Did you get my fav'ite?"

"Cheeseburger happy meal." Jack said, handing her the bag.

"Yes! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now sit down and eat."

She obliged and Jack handed a Caesar salad to Sam. "Here you go."

She smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"Ah, ah, ah..."

"Thanks, Jack." She said with a smile.

"You're welcome Sam." He said, returning her smile.

Something in their smiles was different than usual. It was as if Suzie was finally the catalyst in their relationship to make it blossom. However, before each of them could begin to explore just what those differences were, Suzie yawned.

"Time for a nap, young lady."

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Oh, yes, it is. You've worn yourself out. Lunch will be waiting when you wake up." He said, cleaning up the barely eaten meal and putting it in a bag for later.

She tried to run back to the playground, but he caught her and carried her to the car as Sam grabbed the food. As they drove back to Sam's house, Jack looked in his rear-view mirror. "Yep. Zonked out in the backseat."

Sam turned and found the sight of Suzie sleeping with her head propped up against the side of her carseat. It brought a smile to her lips.

"You know, Carter, I was expecting a little more of an outing than this." Jack said, simply, at the sight of her tender smile.

"It's fine, sir."

"No, it isn't."

"It isn't what? Fine?"

"Sir."

"Right. Well, you know there is that hockey game. You could carry Suzie in and she could sleep on my bed and you could watch hockey."

"I was thinking more along the lines of what WE could do."

"I thought my watching hockey was implied." She said with a grin.

"Ah."

There was another pause in their conversation as they each retreated back into their own thoughts. "You know, this makes me happy." Sam said, almost to herself.

"Huh?"

She inhaled, sharply. "I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah."

She sighed. "I guess I'm just thinking about my dad. He...he wanted to make sure I was happy. I couldn't let him die thinking that I was unhappy, so...I lied."

"You said that you were happy with Pete." He said.

"Yeah."

"Well, I can't say I'm upset that you're not with him anymore." He said, quietly.

"I feel the same way about Kerry."

"I guess we have some thinking to do, don't we?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess we do."


	2. Dilemmas

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill walked into Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter's lab. "So, Carter, whatcha working on this time?"

She looked up. "Oh, hi sir. I'm just trying to compare the tainted ZPM to what we know about the ZPM technology to see if there's any way to reverse what Camulus..." She looked up to find Jack's very blank expression. "I'm just trying to fix the tainted ZPM, sir."

"Ah." He said, the lightbulb going off.

"So, what brings you to my torture chamber today?"

"Torture chamber?"

"As I recall, you don't like scientists. Wouldn't the lab be a place where you were forced to endure cruel and unusual punishment?" She asked, smiling.

He gave a small chuckle. "Let's just say I've made my peace."

His eyes took on a distant look as she tried to return to work. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. "Penny for your thoughts."

He took on a mock look of hurt. "And I would have offered you at least a nickel!"

She shrugged. "I can only afford a penny."

"A not-so-subtle hint that you want a pay raise."

She smiled. "I learned from the best."

He took a deep breath after he sobered again. "General Hammond's retiring."

She set the ZPM aside, seeing how quiet he had gotten. "Really? It's about time that he had time to himself."

He smiled. "Yeah, Tessa and Kayla have just grown up so fast, I guess. He kind of wants to be there a little more often for them."

She nodded. "Somehow, I don't think that's the whole reason you're so quiet."

He shrugged. "President Hayes wants me to replace him."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. That's...wow, that's..."

"Hard to imagine?"

"No." She quickly insisted. "That's not what I meant at all...I just...I thought you'd be base commander for a while longer."

"So did I." He said, rather quietly.

"Something else is bothering you."

He chuckled. "I guess I'm just thinking."

"About?"

He toyed with one of her gadgets, and she didn't stop him. "Joyce is being forced into an assisted living facility."

Sam was confused, "Joyce?"

"Sorry. I jumped tracks on you, Carter. Suzie's grandmother, Joyce, can't take care of herself anymore, let alone Suzie."

Her eyes widened.

"She wants me to take custody." He turned his brown eyes toward her. "I can't do that if I'm in Washington, prancing around DC and going from Antarctica to the SGC to Atlantis to Area 51. It's not fair to her."

"Tough choice."

"Yeah. How'm I supposed to choose between Suzie and the safety of the entire planet?"

"Well, sir, it's not like you haven't done anything for Earth in the past, and it's not like you won't keep doing things for Earth in the future. All that you have to decide is where you want to do it. And who you want surrounding you while you do it."

"But if I keep the job, I'm not going to be giving Suzie everything that she needs."

"Which would be?"

"Well, for starters, she deserves to have two parents."

Sam looked at him. "You're a romantic."

"No."

"Yes, you are. You don't want to raise kids without someone at your side."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he recalled all of the emotions that he had tried to hide over the last few years- first, Antarctica, then the za'tarc incident, Jonah and Thera...

He'd been forced to remember just how much he loved her.

"Well, raising kids is scary enough with someone else. I can't even imagine how terrifying it would be without someone there."

"Well, she'll have SG-1 by her side, just like Cassie did." Sam said, confidently.

"Sam, it's more than that. There's going to be a background check, and...they're going to know that I'm involved in something top-secret. I'm kind of afraid that...they won't let me..."

"They'd be crazy not to." She insisted.

He smiled, "Thanks, Carter, but..."

"You love that little girl, sir. Anyone with eyes can see that. What else can she ask for?"

"A mom."

She looked down at her desk. This was going nowhere. "Jack, this is an opportunity to have a second chance at life with a family instead of just life. I know you'd never really be able to live with yourself if she was shifted from foster home to foster home. You'd worry, and you'd eventually offer to adopt her. Now, you can make the same mistake I made with Cassie because I was afraid, or you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do what you know you want to do."

All of the other questions in his mind about daycare, and all of his other fears were allayed. She had done it again. She had touched his heart and made him do what he knew he should do.

"What would I do without you, Carter?"

She gave him a tender smile. "I honestly don't know, sir."

The looks that were passed between them were similar to the moment they had shared a few weeks before, but with the fact that they were still on the base, they couldn't continue to explore their feelings, and therefore Sam broke in. "Besides, a kid is the perfect excuse to cut back on the hours, and therefore the paperwork."

"And if I couldn't make it, I could order either you or Danny off the base with the excuse of watching Suzie. This has definite possibilities."

She shook her head, laughing. "Is that your goal in life? To get me to play hooky?"

"I'd be overjoyed if you did, but I'll settle for getting you to cut back your hours. Half of the seven billion dollars it takes to run this place goes to yours and Danny's overtime! The United States Government is afraid of taxpayers starting a riot. We CAN'T afford it anymore!" He joked.

"So, what have you decided to do?" She asked after their laughter subsided.

"The only thing I can do. I'm gonna go sign the papers on Saturday."

"And before Joyce goes, where's Suzie going to stay?"

"With me. But I have one small problem. I have to go to the Pentagon starting tomorrow. I'll be back on Saturday afternoon."

"She can stay with me, sir. SG-1 is on leave, and...well, I wouldn't mind spending some more time with her."

"That'd be great! She's been wondering when she could see you again.

Sam's face lit up. "And Cassie's coming home this weekend. We can have a slumber party!"

"A slumber party?"

"Um-hm. Friday night."

"Sounds great!"

"Where and when should I pick her up?"

"I'll bring her to the mountain tomorrow morning. I know you're going to be going over your doohickey for the rest of the night, so...I won't bother you."

"Sir, if I'm going to keep up with a four-year-old for an entire week, I should probably at least try to get some sleep tonight."

"You sure? I wouldn't want you to overdo it."

She smiled. "I'm sure. So, can I pick her up at your place tomorrow morning?"

"Sure. How about 0815?"

"Sounds good."

She smiled as she returned to her project.

"Oh, Carter?"

She looked up again to see a smile on her commanding officer's face. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

She gave him a tender smile from before. "Anytime, sir. You know that."

"You need anything, call me, okay?" He said. "Anytime, day or night."

She smiled. She knew that it was more than just a father sending reinforcements for his sitter. It was much more than that. It was his way of telling her that he would always be there for her. No matter what.


	3. Redecorating

Sam arrived at the O'Neill house at 0730 hours. "Sir?" She asked as she entered when there was no answer to her knock.

"Carter!" He greeted, running around the kitchen with a plate in one hand as he tried to make breakfast.

"Need another couple of hands, sir?" She asked with a smile.

"Why do you call him siwuh?" Suzie asked, walking into the kitchen in her nightgown and slippers.

"It's a sign of respect." Sam said, eyeing Jack.

"Why?"

"Because he's my commanding officer."

"What's a comm- comn-comma…?"

"Commanding officer? It's something that shouldn't have to come home after work." Jack said, smiling.

"Sir?"

"It's Jack."

"Sir?" She asked, somewhat concerned.

"Aw, come on, Carter…we've already established this."

She smiled. "As long as you remember that it's Sam...not Carter."

He shrugged. "Okay...Sam."

"Johnny, I'm hungry." Suzie said, interrupting their little moment.

Jack looked at the burnt pancakes on the griddle. "Uh…sorry, sweetheart. It'll be a little while yet."

"You know, I could cook breakfast while you pack."

He looked at her. "I don't need to pack. Did that last night."

"All right. Then, Suzie's all packed?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Crap! I forgot that."

Sam smiled. "I've got a guest room, so you don't need to worry about bedding or sheets. Just clothes."

Jack turned to go, but stopped. "You know, Carter, it might just be easier for you to stay here. I've got a guest room. All Suzie's stuff is here."

"But what about Cassie?" Sam asked.

"One of you can take my bed. I'll even change the sheets for ya."

"Please, Sam. Stay at home wif me!" Her little eyes were wide and she reminded Sam of the Precious Moments figurines with the tear-shaped eyes.

She gave a sigh of resignation. "All right. We'll stay here."

"Might as well keep my truck. The Air Force is picking me up in…" he looked at his watch. "Half an hour!" He said, running to shower and get dressed.

"Men." Sam said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Men." Suzie agreed, mimicking Sam.

--

Sam walked into Suzie's bedroom while Jack was dressing. Boxes were lining the stale white walls. A queen-sized bed sat in the corner with clean sheets, but it was obvious that this was a bachelor's home.

She tried to get Suzie dressed, but found hand-me-downs that were one or two sizes too big for her, as opposed to the cute outfits that she had worn previously. Granted, she had grown since they had met a couple of months ago, but…

"Sir?" Sam said, walking out of Suzie's room.

"Ah, ah, ah." He returned, walking out of his room, dressed in his dress blues. She had to keep from gawking. He was downright hot in those dress blues. Down girl, she thought.

"Okay…Jack."

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if we do something with Suzie's room while you're gone?"

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, she needs a smaller bed."

Jack nodded. "True."

"And those boxes have got to move."

"Cleared a space for them downstairs."

"And white walls?"

"What's wrong with 'em?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with them? Nothing. If you're renting your house to a bunch of complete strangers."

"Fine. If you want to decorate the room, knock yourself out." He reached into his pocket. "Here's my credit card." He turned to get his overnight bag as the Air Force car pulled up.

"Jack?"

'Yeah?"

"She's going to need a new wardrobe."

"What?"

"Cassie's going to insist."

He saw Suzie dressed in a t-shirt that was too big for her and she was tripping over the oversized jeans. He smiled. "Anything for my little girl," He said, bending down. "Come and give me a hug!"

She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, arms outstretched. She tripped into his arms, and he caught her. She gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, Daddy."

As he stood up, Sam could see his misty eyes. "Bye, Suzie."

He turned to Sam. "Thanks again."

She smiled. "Don't mention it."

Then, he placed his hat on his head and walked toward the suburban parked outside his house.

"Wave bye-bye!" She insisted, her hands reaching toward Sam. She smiled and picked up the four-year-old, who waved toward Jack, intermittently blowing kisses in his direction.

"Cute kid." The airman driving the car said.

"Yeah." Jack said, returning both the waves and the kisses.

"You and your wife sure are lucky!"

Jack turned. "Oh, she's not…I mean…" The airman looked thoroughly confused. "Yes. Yes, we are."

--

Sam fed Suzie her breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, while trying to figure out the plan for the day. "So, we need to stop by my house, and then…"

"Why do we need to stop by youw house?"

"Why? Because I don't have my clothes and things here."

"Oh."

"And we need to call Daniel and Teal'c to see if they can help. I already know Cassie will jump at the chance."

"With what?"

"With your room. We're going to get you a new bed and we're going to make your room all pretty."

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "With hosies?'

'Horsies? Of course. What else?"

"Flowehs."

Sam smiled. Jack would be raising a little girl who was interested in all of the frills of femininity. She wondered for a moment if he was exactly sure of what he was getting himself into.

"Well, let's see what we can do."

--

"Well…do you like this color?" Sam asked, holding up a baby pink shade of paint.

She shook her head. "I'm bowd."

Sam was starting to get tired of the declarations of Suzie's boredom every five minutes. "Just a little bit longer."

"But you said that a long time ago!"

"Suzie, if we can just choose the kind of paint that you want, we'll go home, okay?"

"I'm hungwy."

Sam gritted her teeth for a moment before returning a smile to the four-year-old. "So, do you like green, pink, purple, blue…"

"Gween."

"Okay." Sam pointed to a pastel shade of green. "Is this better?"

"Uh-huh."

Sam breathed a visible sigh of relief. "We'll take this color."

The man at the counter turned back to her. "It's a special mix. How many cans do you want?"

Sam closed one eye in concentration. "Uh…let's get two. Just in case."

"All right. Two cans of light forest. Do you want any wallpaper with that?"

Sam took a deep breath. "I think we'll take care of that later."

"Okay."

They paid for the paint and waited for it to be mixed. Then, they went back into Jack's truck. Sam started the engine and looked at the clock. They'd been in that store for a whole hour, and she was ready for a nap.

"All right. Time for lunch and naps!"

--

"Daniel! Teal'c! Thanks for coming!" Sam said, opening the door.

"So…moving in?" Daniel asked, looking at the boxes that Sam had moved out of Suzie's room and into the hallway.

"Funny." She said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "No. These are just some boxes that Jack had in Suzie's room."

"Jack?" Daniel asked.

"It was confusing Suzie. So, when we're not on the base, we're using first names."

"Where is young Suzie O'Neill?"

"Asleep. I didn't realize that kids have such short attention spans."

She drew blank looks from both Daniel and Teal'c. "We were running some errands. I had to grab a few things from home, we called you, and then we started shopping. Except that after an hour at the paint store, she finally chose a color after telling me no less than five times that she was bored."

"Nevertheless, you were successful in procuring the necessary materials for our task of decoration, did you not?"

She shook her head. "I only managed to get paint. We'll have to go back for a wall-paper trim."

"Perhaps we can simply find and hang pictures of the equines Suzie O'Neill wishes to see." Teal'c suggested. "I have brought with me an adequate sample of such photographs."

He pulled out a 16-month wall calendar that featured sixteen beautiful pictures of wild and tame horses.

"Teal'c! This is perfect!"

"And here's one with pictures of various famous gardens around the world." Daniel said, handing her another calendar.

"She may also enjoy these photographs and oil paintings of many of your dancers of ballet."

Sam looked at the guys in disbelief. "You guys have spent a lot of time researching this stuff, haven't you?"

"Teal'c's new hobby is home décor. He watches Trading Spaces, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Home and Garden channel…the list is endless."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"Daniel Jackson is not attempting to be humorous at this time. I merely brought the decorative wall-hangings as an inexpensive alternative to traditional decorating techniques."

Sam smiled. "Thanks, Teal'c. But before we start trying to paint and decorate the room, let's move these boxes to their new home. Suzie's still sleeping in the room. When she wakes up, we'll break out the paint."

"Woohoo!" Daniel said, rather unenthusiastically.

"Let's go." Sam said, chuckling.

--

"Well, that's the last box. Let's go see what's going on with the Suzie front." Sam said, dusting off her hands.

"She is awake, Colonel Carter." Teal'c replied.

"How do you know that?"

"Hi, Sam!" The four-year-old said, walking down the stairs, her hand firmly gripping the railing.

"Suzie!"

"Shall we not break out the paint at this point?" Teal'c asked.

"Um, I was thinking that we could wait until Cassie comes to paint. Then, she can watch Suzie while we paint."

"Don't worry about it. Teal'c and I will paint. You and Suzie can go and shop for her new bed or her clothes or something."

Sam shrugged. "Okay."

"It may also be wise to purchase some bedroom accessories such as a dresser, a bookshelf, and some similar equipment."

"And T-O-Y-S." Daniel said, cryptically.

She raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."

"We going?"

"Yep. To choose a new bed!"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, and then, we'll look at the pictures Uncle Daniel and Uncle Teal'c brought over to put in your room."

Her eyes widened and she ran over to the men, throwing her arms around their knees. "Fank you!"

They smiled. "You're welcome."

She turned to Sam. "Daddy's going to be so suhpised."

"Yes, he is." Sam said with a smile.


	4. Finished Product

By the time Cassie arrived at Jack's house on the following Friday, Suzie's room was painted pale green with pictures of horses, flowers, and ballet dancers on the walls. She had a white dresser with four drawers and a matching nightstand. A small pink lamp sat on top of the nightstand while a plethora of bedtime storybooks sat on the shelf underneath.

Sam had found some shelves that they could attach directly to the wall. On a couple of them, they placed books, and on others, they placed small knickknacks like dolls and stuffed animals.

Her toddler-sized bed had a white frame and headboard with a green, pink, blue and purple comforter and matching pillowcases laying on top. At the foot of the bed was a light pink toy box filled with games and toys for her to play with.

Cassie walked in and gasped. "Wow, you guys! This is GREAT!"

"Thanks." Sam and Daniel said.

"Mine woom!" Suzie said, running in and throwing herself onto her bed.

"Yes, it is." Sam said, kneeling down when Suzie stood up and ran toward her, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"I guess now we just have to work on her wardrobe." Cassie said, a definite gleam in her eye.

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that." Sam said with a chuckle.

"Sumber Pawty!"

"Slumber party?" Cassie asked.

"Well, in that case, we're outta here." Daniel said with a grin. "Hey, tell Jack that he owes us."

Sam smiled. "Actually, I'm the one that owes you."

"Nah. We don't charge beautiful women."

Sam blushed while Cassie chuckled. "All right, Daniel, that's enough flattery for today. Now, once you bachelors go, we'll be able to start our slumber party. You know, pedicures, manicures…"

"Bye, Sam! Bye, Suzie!"

"Enjoy yourselves, Colonel Carter and Suzie O'Neill."

"Just Suzie." Suzie said, looking up at the large man she had become so fond of. She put her arms up, and Teal'c bent down to give her a hug. "I love you."

"And I you…Suzie."

Then, she turned and latched her arms around Daniel's neck. "Thanks for helping me get mine woom weady."

"You're welcome." Daniel said with a smile.

"Then, I will bid you farewell." Teal'c said, bowing.

"Bye."

"Me too."

"Bye, Daniel."

And with that, the men left the house to the girls. But as they left, Daniel turned to Teal'c. "Do you think Jack's going to like what happened or will continue to happen to his house?"

"I do not believe that he will object too loudly for fear that he will hurt Colonel Carter's feelings." Teal'c said with one eyebrow raised.

Daniel chuckled. "You've got a point there." He said, shaking his head.


	5. Homecoming

_A/N: Due to a very observant reviewer, I am changing two words that I wrote in this chapter. I had Sam address Jack as 'colonel' when he is actually a 'general' now. Thanks sissybear!_

Sam laid sleeplessly on the top of the covers of his bed. This was crazy. She wasn't able to sleep because her commanding officer's bed smelled like him. And rightly so!

Suddenly, she saw lights turn into the driveway.

Oh no, she thought. This is going to be awkward!

She proactively decided to move down to the couch in the living room. As she walked carefully down the hall, she heard the door open, and there was a crash. She closed her eyes in humiliation. She had not anticipated his early arrival, and there were some things that needed to be redistributed: the Queen-sized bed, the dresser and a number of other things that had made Suzie's room unusable. Undoubtedly, he had stumbled over those things.

She hurried to the entryway where she found Jack lying on the ground, clad in his dress blues, clutching his knee. He was swearing rather loudly under his breath. She turned on the light. "You might not want to let Suzie hear you say any of those words." She said, as she did so.

"Carter…when I gave you the okay to work in Suzie's room, I didn't think you meant this…"

She gave a sheepish grin. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. That was going to be moved first thing in the morning. I couldn't think of any more suitable places to put it."

"Well, next time you rearrange my furniture, Carter, I'd appreciate a phone call."

She helped him stand up. "What makes you think there will be a next time?"

"This stuff has to move, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

She got him to the table, where he sat on a chair and lifted his injured leg onto another. "So, what exactly happened?" She asked, getting the ice from the freezer.

"I tripped on the bed. I tried to avoid falling down the stairs, but sprained my knee instead."

"I'm sorry." She said, handing him the ice pack.

"Don't worry about it." he said, placing the ice onto his knee. "So, how was Suzie?"

"She was fine. We got some good work done."

He cringed as he moved the ice a little.

"Shouldn't I take you to the infirmary? Let Dr. Brightman take a look at it?"

"At what?"

"Your knee."

"No, it'll be fine tomorrow."

"General…"

"Don't General me…"

"I'm going to tell Cassie where we're going. She can stay with Suzie while we're gone."

"Carter, I am not going to the infirmary for a little knee sprain! I have all of the stuff that she's going to give me anyway…"

"Except an examination."

"Carter, I'll be fine."

"Okay, if you won't see Dr. Brightman, I'll take you to the emergency room. I'm sure they have lots of patients to see tonight, so we'll probably have to be there until at least eight o' clock later this morning. And after that, we'll have to get your prescription which will take at least another hour, and you're not going to see Suzie until after you wake up from the vicodin…"

"That's enough!" He said, preparing to get up. "I'll go to the infirmary."

"Now, wait a minute, sir. I have to get Cassie and tell her where we're going, and…sorry, sir, I'm not parading down the halls of the SGC in my pajamas. I'll be back in a flash."

"Come on, Carter, it's not like I wanted to go in the first place…"

"We're leaving in about three minutes, sir. Now, don't you dare move until I come back." She said, poking her head around the corner again. "I mean it."

He grumbled as he settled back into the chair as she went about her business.


	6. Sleeping With Your CO 101

The next morning found Sam out cold on Jack's bed as Suzie ran in with all of that blasted energy of youth. She got onto the bed and started bouncing.

"Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" She chanted.

Sam, being jolted awake by the four-year-old's bouncing envied Jack who was still snoring away on the other side of the bed. He had gotten the drug, and she had gotten the "hangover."

"Suzie." Sam groaned. "Where's Cassie?"

"Still seeping."

Sam looked at where the clock would have been in her room, but when there was nothing there, she rolled over. There, she found Jack O'Neill, asleep under the covers. She forgot all about checking what time it was. Instantly out of bed and grabbing Suzie. "Sweetheart," she said, trying to paint her panic as nothing more than concern for Jack's leg. "Last night, when your daddy came home, he hurt his leg. We have to be very careful around it, okay?"

She nodded, solemnly. As she did so, Cassie came around the corner, sleepily. Her eyes widened at the sight of Sam in Jack's room, though more so because she realized that Suzie had awoken Sam, who had arrived home only three hours before from the infirmary.

"Let's go get some breakfast, okay?" Cassie asked, picking her up.

"Okay." Then, she leaned in to Cassie's ear, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Can we make them breakfast in bed?" She asked, loudly enough for Sam to hear.

"Yes. But much, much later, okay." Cassie said, closing the door.

Sam's face flushed. She had just been caught sleeping with her CO…sorta. Sam looked at her appearance in the mirror, and nearly choked on her own saliva as she realized what she had been wearing. She was wearing Jack's Air Force shirt and her own jeans. She'd even thrown on his moccasin-like slippers. She closed her eyes in humiliation. No wonder she had gotten funny looks on the base.

She was about to go into the guest room where Cassie had slept, to get a few more hours of shut-eye, but as she turned to check on Jack before she did so, she saw that his injured leg was dangerously close to the edge, his right leg having already slipped off. Sam hopped onto the bed where she gently moved Jack's leg back toward the middle of the bed and reached over the leg to get his left leg and return it to its place on the bed.

She stood back to look at her handiwork when she saw the awkward angle that Jack was now sleeping in. She took a deep breath and grabbed his trunk, trying to help him scoot over. However as she placed her arms around his waist, he reciprocated the gesture and pulled her closer to him. Suddenly, she was lying, cuddled up to her commanding office, wondering what had happened.

She tried to pull away, but each time she did so, he tightened his grip on her.

What the hell, she thought, Cassie already knows I'm sleeping with him. She thought to herself with a giggle.

So, with her head on Jack's chest, she was lulled to sleep by listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart and his steady breathing. Before she completely lost consciousness, she smiled to herself. This was what life was all about.


	7. Mommy

_Five Weeks Later:_

"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up!" Suzie called at the top of her four-year-old lungs.

"What?" Sam asked, groggily.

"Bwekfast weady! Daddy fixed!"

She tried to will the sleep from her eyes, hoping to waken fully from the deep sleep she had been in only minutes before.

"You up, sleepyhead?" Jack asked, bringing in a plate of eggs and toast. He balanced the plate cautiously in one hand as his other leaned on the cane Dr. Brightman had issued to him only three days before.

"Yes, sir."

"You're at my house, Sam. Lose the sir."

She nodded, her body and mind still locked in the world of dreams and illusions. Jack chuckled at the sight. "Why are you here?" He asked, a tiny smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What?"

"Well, according to Daniel, you were last seen at the base at 0315 hours. He assumed you'd gong to your quarters on the base, but then I told him you were in my guest room…"

"Suzie gets up early."

Suzie and Jack exchanged looks of confusion.

"Uh huh…"

"You sleep late. Someone needed to watch her while you sleep." She mumbled, her voice distorted by the pillow covering it up.

She had a point. He'd been on painkillers for the last few weeks, and he had always slept later than Suzie, which when you have a four-year-old is a slow and painful death.

However, he couldn't help but add a tiny barb. "Which is exactly what you're doing at this moment."

"Um hm…" She murmured, obviously back in her dreams.

Jack shook his head in amusement. "Come on, Suzie, let's let Sam get some more sleep.'

She nodded, but before she followed Jack, she climbed onto the bed and planted a kiss on Sam's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Mommy."

Jack, who had been walking out the door, stopped and turned. His blood froze almost instantly. Suzie had just called Sam mommy. It was a tender scene, and he was touched by it, but…how did one explain fraternization regulations to a four-year-old? Sure, Sam had been around a lot since Jack had gotten hurt…she had felt partly responsible, and therefore she had taken it upon herself, despite Jack's protests to be there before Suzie awoke and to leave after Jack had been put to bed. And she had done this all in addition to her duties as second-in-command of the base. No wonder she had crashed in the nearest possible place. She probably hadn't even realized that she had been headed to Jack's house, just driven there, gotten in and gone to bed.

He felt something tug at his shorts and looked down to find Suzie. "Daddy!"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I gave Mommy a kiss like she does when I go to bed." The little girl said, proudly.

"Yes, you did, pumpkin." He said, still somewhat distracted by the events that had just transpired.

"Did I do it wight?" She asked, worriedly.

"Huh?" He looked back down at the four-year-old. "Oh, yeah…just like Sam."

She beamed as she followed her gaze to the bed on which the woman in question lay sleeping. "I wuv her."

"So do I." He whispered, wondering where to go from here.

--

Sam awoke to find herself in Jack's house. "Damn!" She whispered. She had been so preoccupied with the things she'd worked with in her lab that she'd driven to Jack's house as though it had been her own. She walked out into the kitchen expecting to find Jack and Suzie around, but instead found nobody. There on the table was the plate of eggs and toast that Jack had brought in earlier, and she walked over to it. By the plate was a note: 'went to see Daniel and Teal'c. Brought Suzie. Let's talk later- 1900 hours tonight? -Jack.'

"Let's talk?" She asked herself, somewhat confused. What had happened to make him want to talk…was it that he felt she was taking too much possession of his house?

She looked around the kitchen. She had probably gone a little overboard. After all, now, Jack's kitchen resembled a more lived-in version of her kitchen. She even had a few articles of clothing in the dresser drawers of the guest room. Suddenly, she felt sheepish. She had practically moved in with him, and all under the pretense of taking care of him and Suzie until he was on his feet again.

She took a deep breath. Breakfast first, then, she would pack her stuff again, and move it all back to her house. Obviously, Jack didn't need her here any more.

--

"D'you think Mommy's up yet?" Suzie asked, as she ran inside.

The gray-haired general chuckled. He was much too old to be running after a four-year-old, especially with a leg injury. "Probably."

"Did she eat her bwekfast?"

"Most likely."

"I'm gonna go see her!" She said, running back to the guest room.

"Suzie!" Came a surprised voice. "What are you doing back here?"

"Daddy said it was nap time, so…we came home from Uncle Danny's and Uncle T's house."

"I see."

"Yep. Did you seep well?"

"Yes, I did, sweetheart."

"Good!"

"Where's your dad?"

"He's still coming up the stairs." She said, almost surprised that it had taken her father so much longer to follow her than usual.

"I see. Can you tell him I'll be out in a minute?"

"Sure."

She ran back to find Jack in the kitchen, staring at a suitcase. "Mommy said she'd be out in a minute."

"Okay…" He said, allowing his attention to be diverted. "Let's get you in bed, and then I'll talk to mo…" he caught himself before fully slipping. "Sam."

--

"Sam." Jack said, stepping out of Suzie's room at the same time Sam stepped out of the guest room, another suitcase in hand. "What're you doing?"

"I just realized that you probably don't need me to be around as much anymore. I was just going to move back home."

"I see…"

She smiled somewhat nervously. "You needed to talk to me?"

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you over dinner. Daniel and Teal'c already said they'd watch…"

"Is this a date, sir?"

Her use of his title cut him inside. "Uh…no…I just…I thought we'd be able to talk better without Suzie. What I need to discuss with you is really…"

"I understand. It was out of line for me to try and take over your house."

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"I didn't mean to, really…I just…all of a sudden, the dish towels were in the drawer by the sink, the pot handles were by the stove and everything changed places. I'm…I hope that this won't affect our relationship at…"

"Carter, I'm not talking about asking you to move out! If anything, I'm asking you to move in."

Her breath caught. "Excuse me?"

He realized what he had just implied. "I mean…oh boy…Suzie's been calling you 'mom' lately. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with that."

"She's been calling me what?" She asked, almost breathless from the turn of events over the last few minutes.

"When she went in to wake you up this morning, she called you mommy. I…I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you before I encouraged or discouraged that habit."

"That's…that's fine."

"You're sure?"

"Unless you're not okay with it."

"Oh, it…it doesn't matter to me…"

"Then, I'm good."

They looked at one another for a few moments. "All right then…I'm Suzie's…mommy."

"Yeah."

"I guess this complicates things."

"It doesn't have to."

She took a deep breath, and looked at her suitcases. "I have to go."

"Sam…"

"Sir."

His shoulders sagged. "So…dinner's off?"

She nodded. "I'll…I'll be at the base tomorrow if you need to talk some more."

"Okay."

She gave him a tight smile. "Good-bye, sir."

"Good-bye…Colonel."


	8. Jacob's Advice

"Daniel Jackson." The archaeologist answered after two rings.

"Daniel, it's me."

"Jack, what's going on?"

"I, uh, I don't need you and Teal'c to baby-sit tonight."

"What happened?"

"She went all formal on me."

"What?"

"All of a sudden, we weren't 'Jack' and 'Sam' anymore, we were 'sir' and 'Carter' again."

"Well, what'd you say?"

"Nothing! She'd packed her stuff and started leaving before I even got home!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. And…she kept apologizing for taking over my kitchen…no, wait a minute, it was my house that she apologized for taking over."

"Really?"

"Yeah…what the hell happened, Daniel?"

"Jack, I wasn't there."

"I know. So?"

"So…how the hell should I know?"

"Daniel, you're supposed to be a friggin' genius!"

"But that doesn't make me omniscient!"

"Omni-what?"

"All-knowing, Jack. I'm not all-knowing."

There was a pause on the line. "Oh. Right."

"Look, Jack…I don't know what you want me to do…"

"Tell me how to get her back, Daniel."

Daniel was silent for a few moments, surprised by the quiet desperation in Jack's voice. "I'm sorry, Jack. I…I don't know."

--

She drove aimlessly around in her car. What had she done? In a matter of seconds, she had turned the nice family atmosphere of their home into…

She stopped. THEIR home? FAMILY atmosphere? Mommy, Daddy and Suzie? Her thoughts raced in fear.

She couldn't be Suzie's mom! She couldn't be a mom, period. And…above all, she couldn't want, let alone have, Suzie's dad. Sure, they'd played house, and it had felt damn good, but…it had all been just a game. Temporary.

She drove into the gravel area of the cemetery. This was where her parents were both buried. This was where she would get the answers that she craved.

She parked the car and stepped out, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Hi, Dad." She began, trying not to choke up. "I don't know why I'm here, but…"

She sat on the nearby bench, wiping away the tears that had slipped past her stalwart defenses.

"I think I made the biggest mistake of my entire life…I…"

Thoughts of Suzie raced through her mind. Marveling at the transformation her room had undergone, smiling after first waking up, cuddling close to her after she had a nightmare…she couldn't just leave Suzie, could she?

"Dad, there's this little girl. J-General O'Neill adopted her, and she's…" She smiled as she pictured Jacob and Suzie playing together in Jack's backyard. "You'd love her."

She was quiet for a moment. "I..I've been…taking care of Jack, and…Suzie thought that we were…" She sniffled. "I really hurt him, Dad. And I don't know what to do."

The stillness of the air around her was deafening, and she looked at the headstone in front of her. "You said I could still have everything I wanted. What the hell did you mean by that? I mean he's my commanding officer, for cryin' out loud!"

"For cryin' out loud?"

She froze, not needing to look back at the man standing behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"You mean to tell me that you call me up and start whining about your love life, but when I show up to give you some advice, you ask me why I'm here to help?" Jacob Carter sat beside his daughter.

"Doesn't exactly sound fair to me."

"Okay…"

"Look, just talk to Jack. Explain to him that you had kind of a knee-jerk reaction."

"I doubt he ever wants to talk to me again."

"You're selling Jack a little short, don't you think?"

"That's just the problem, Dad."

"What's the problem?"

"I think too much. I analyze everything. I just…I wish I could just…feel."

"Sam…you can. It'll take a different mindset."

"And that would be?"

"Just throw out the rule book and find out."

"But what about…?"

"George Hammond and Henry Hayes have quite a bit of money riding on this. I wouldn't worry about someone pressing charges- after all, Kinsey's dead, isn't he?"

"But we're superior officers, we're supposed to be the examp…"

"Sam, go get gorgeous and show up at his house at 1900 hours."

"What?"

"I doubt he's cancelled the reservations, and he definitely doesn't have another date, so…go and take him out."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Dad, I don't…"

"He's taking his cues from you. You really want to stay home, playing Scrabble with yourself?"

She took a deep breath. "Who'll watch Suzie?"

"Me."

"No offense, Dad, but you kind of have to have a corporeal form to count as a baby-sitter."

"I know."

He waited as the implication hit her. "Oh my…are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Wha-? Why?"

"Well, I believe you said I'd love Suzie."


	9. The Engagement

She stood outside his door, dressed in black slacks and a fitted peasant top. She took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to ask General O'Neill to go out with her- regulations excluded.

She reached for the doorbell, but stopped. "I can't do this." She whispered.

"Sam, you've blown up a sun and you're telling me that you can't tell the man that you've fallen in love with that you made a mistake?" Her father asked, a tiny chuckle in his voice.

"You don't understand…physics is a piece of cake…people…not so much."

"Sam, you're overanalyzing this again."

"Damn." She cursed softly.

"Ring the doorbell."

She had been taught to follow orders since she was a toddler and so this was not difficult for her to do. There was a sudden flurry of activity inside the house and Sam smiled as she pictured exactly what was going on. Suzie had undoubtedly been in the bathtub or just getting out. Now, as the curious creature that she was, she ran immediately to the door. Jack was obviously trying to follow closely.

The door opened and a panty-clad Suzie stood before them, her hair dripping wet. Her grin widened as she took in the sight of Sam. "Mommy!"

Sam took a deep breath in as she smiled. "Hey! Did you just get done with your bath?"

"Uh huh."

"Suzie, who is it?"

"Mommy." She called back.

Jack, who had just been turning the corner stopped. "Sam."

"Jack."

"Will you do my hair? Daddy makes it hurt!"

Sam's eyes left Jack's hesitantly as she turned her attention back onto the little girl. "Sure. Go get your brush so that your dad and I can talk, okay?"

"Okay." She said, obediently.

"You're back." He said, trying not to sound surprised.

"Yeah."

"You're…dressed up."

"Uh huh."

"What time is it?"

"1830 hours."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I, uh…I was thinking that…"

"What?"

"Well, I…I made a mistake."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have just left. I…I should have talked to you first."

"Look, Carter…"

"Sam."

His eyes widened slightly. "Sam."

"I dropped the 'sir' again." She said, uncomfortably.

"I noticed."

"Look, I don't know what…"

"We need to talk. And you had dinner reservations."

"Well…they weren't reservations…exactly…"

"Whatever. Now, get changed and let's go."

He straightened and looked at her, almost challenging her. "What?"

She swallowed. This was the test of their relationship. She had issued him an order, of sorts. "Please. I…I would like to accept your dinner invitation from this morning."

"Why?"

"Because we have some things to talk about."

He mulled this over carefully in his mind. "Okay…you have a point there. Let me just call Danny and Teal'c…"

"You don't need to, Jack." She said, stopping him as he turned.

"Huh?" He asked, turning to face her again, confusion written on his face.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to watch my surrogate granddaughter." Jacob said, coming out of the shadows.

"Jake?" Jack asked, staring at the figure he had missed earlier.

"It's me, Jack."

"When did you get back?"

"A couple of hours ago. I…uh…I was talking to him." Sam explained.

"After you left…"

"Yeah."

"Okay, Sam…you take care of Suzie's hair, and…I'll get dressed."

"Okay."

She followed Jack down the hallway, ducking into Suzie's room before Jack reached his own. _"Twinkle, twinkle, little Star/How I wonder what you are/Up above the world so high/Like a diamond in the sky/Twinkle, twinkle, little star/How I wonder what you are."_

Sam watched the little girl twirl around in her nightgown as she sang the nursery rhyme. Visions of another little girl burst forth from her imagination, and she choked back tears. This was her daughter- maybe Suzie hadn't come from her own womb, but someone had borne her so that Samantha Carter could love her, and that was what made Suzie O'Neill Sam's daughter. With this realization, her heart swelled with indescribable joy and pride.

"You okay?" Jacob asked, watching his daughter watch her own daughter.

She wiped away the tears that had leaked from her tear ducts. "I'm fine."

"Mommy!" Suzie said, running over, brush in hand.

"Suzie!" Sam said, picking the little girl up and twirling her around a little. She was rewarded with a giggle, and she smiled at the simple pleasure it had given her. "I want you to meet someone. Suzie, this is my dad. Dad, this is Suzie."

"Mine gwampa?" Suzie asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes, princess." Jacob said, arms extended to hold her.

She hesitated for a moment before leaping into Jacob's arms. Tears slipped down Sam's face. She hadn't realized just how much she had wanted this moment until now. Suddenly, she could feel someone coming closer to her. "You okay?" A husky voice asked as a strong arm snaked around her waist tentatively.

She took a deep breath, surprised by the rather intimate feelings rushing over her, and he started to pull his hand away, but she grabbed it, surprising even herself with the gesture. She looked into his brown eyes and nodded. "I'm fine."

"Daddy! This is mine Gwampa!" Suzie announced, interrupting the moment between the other two adults.

"Yes, Suzie, it is." He said, his eyes not leaving Sam's.

--

"So, what made you change your mind?" He asked as the waitress brought out their Chinese food.

"My dad." She answered, honestly.

He didn't respond, allowing her to finish her narrative.

"I was…overanalyzing everything, and what I saw then scared me."

"What did you see?"

"I saw my mother's car accident, I saw court-martials, I saw Charlie, I saw…"

He stiffened at the sound of his late son's name.

"I saw all of the things that could go wrong, and none of the blessings that I could get by being a part of this…life you were offering me. Instead of seeing Suzie, I saw…loss, change, instability, resentment…"

"Resentment?" He asked, gently trying to get her to continue.

"Jack, for more than twenty years, my life has been my job. To admit that there's something bigger than our current occupations…well, that scares me."

"You mean family, love…"

"Yeah."

"Me too." He admitted.

"I guess that's part of the deal."

"Yep."

They lapsed into silence before Jack began talking again. "Sam…I, uh, I don't know if this is too early, but…"

"But what?" She asked, her heart pounding.

He grimaced, trying to find a way to put the question weighing heavily on his mind delicately. "I…well, okay…there's always a possibility that you might not come back…"

"Yes."

"And I…I don't want to have to…" He drew out a long breath in frustration. "Dammit, Sam, I want you to marry me."

She took a deep breath. "What?"

"Not right now, but…"

"Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Sam…I've been wanting to ask you to marry for a long time now, and…" He reached into his pocket, pulling out the solitaire diamond ring. "I can wait, but…I want you to know that this is where I want to get."

Tears welled in her eyes. "You want to marry me?"

"Yes."

There was a pause as she stared at the ring. "It's gorgeous…"

"You don't have to say anything…"

"Yes." She interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"You don't need two weeks?"

She shook her head. "No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

He leaned over the table and kissed her, surprising the rest of the restaurant. When he finally released her, he sat back in his seat. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They sat in silence, simply drinking in the knowledge that they had finally made a commitment to one another. Despite their fears and the regulations.

"I hate to bring this up, but…"

"What about the regulations?" She finished.

"Yeah."

"We talk to General Hammond and President Hayes."

"What?" He asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Jack, think about it. How many times have we saved their…assets…from annihilation?"

"Ask T, I think he has the count up to…nine?"

"I think it's more than that, but…don't you think we deserve a little slack?"

"And if that argument doesn't work?"

"I'll go civilian."

"Sam…"

"Jack, it's the only option we have. You are still needed as the base commander, and to a certain extent, I am still needed too. As a civilian, I would just have a job more like Daniel's. Without rank advancement, etc."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"So…there'd still be base all-nighters?"

She chuckled. "Probably."

"But…"

"But I can guarantee there wouldn't be as many."

"Because of me?"

She shook her head. "No…because of Suzie."

He gave her a mock glare. "Suzie?"

She chuckled before sobering up again. "I lost my mom when I was fifteen…I don't want her to go through that."

"Neither do I."

They looked at one another for a few moments again before Jack signaled for a check. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

--

They arrived back at the house. "Jack…"

"Trust me."

He took her up onto the roof where his telescope sat, waiting for them. There sat a large quilt, a bottle of champagne, and some champagne flutes. "Got a little sure of yourself, huh?"

"I didn't put this stuff here." He said, just as surprised as she.

"You didn't?"

"Nope."

"Huh…"

"Come here." He said, a velvety huskiness to his voice that she hadn't heard before. It sent shivers down her spine. Needless to say, she didn't need to be asked twice.

"Look into the telescope."

She did so, and the star was shining brightly above her. "Wow. It's…breathtaking." She said, studying it.

"It's yours."

She jerked up to look at him. "What?"

"You know that program to buy a star…I…well, Sam, I…I bought you a star."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"That's…that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."

"That one reminds me of you."

"How?" She asked, unable to withhold her curiosity.

"Come here and I'll tell you." He said, holding up the champagne and the blanket as he sat down.

She sat next to him, and he enveloped her in his arms and in the blanket. "You see, that star is bright. Brighter than the other stars in its quadrant."

She smiled, cuddling closer to him.

"And, as you said before, it's breathtaking." He said, allowing one of his fingers to feather through her hair. "And words alone cannot possibly describe it."

She kissed him. "Why did we wait so long again?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"I can't remember." He said before kissing her deeply, eight years of restrained passion burning in his soul.


	10. Wedding Bells

Jack stood at the front of the church with Daniel, Teal'c and George Hammond at his side. He looked nervously at the minister. It was taking Sam an awfully long time to come out so they could start the ceremony. 

"She's reconsidering, Daniel." He finally admitted, vulnerably.

"What?" Daniel asked, surprised. "Why would she do that?"

"Nobody can live up to eight years of fantasies…"

"Are you speaking of yourself or of Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked, knowingly.

"Uh…pass…" He said, thinking back to the morning after she'd accepted his proposal.

_He'd awoken the next morning, still entangled in Sam's embrace. He pulled out of it, despite the fact that she tried to cuddle back up to him. "Sam…I gotta go see if Suzie's okay…" He whispered._

_She nodded as she went back to sleep. He smiled as he watched this woman, warrior-scientist by day, his fiancée by night, sleep. There was something about her that was fascinatingly beautiful. She was gorgeous when she was working on some alien doohickey, but the scene of her sleeping peacefully in his house evoked a strong and yet tender emotion within him. It was difficult for him to describe, except that it was an urge to protect._

_He kissed her head as he got out of bed and threw on his slippers, and slipped his air force t-shirt over his head. He reached the kitchen to find Suzie eating cereal and Jacob drinking a cup of coffee. "Jake."_

"_Daddy!" Suzie cried, scrambling from her seat at the table to her father's arms._

"_Hey, pumpkin."_

"_Where's Mommy? She's usually up before you…"_

"_She's still sleeping…she's been working really hard lately."_

"_Okay."_

"_How 'bout you finish your breakfast, princess…then we'll get you dressed, okay?"_

"_Okay." She said, bouncing out of his arms and back to the breakfast table._

"_So, Jake…how'd you get back?"_

"_Some ascended being took pity on me…all of a sudden, I was being offered an opportunity to live on a higher plane…couldn't exactly say 'no' to that, so…I went. After that, I heard that my daughter was having a hard time telling the man that she loved that she loved him, so…I figured that the universe had enough people to screw it up…I came to see if I could help…"_

"_And because you interfered, you're back for good…"_

"_Well, in a manner of speaking…"_

"_What manner of speaking?"_

"_It's boring up there, believe me. For Daniel, it was probably fascinating, but…for military men like you and me…it's boring. You watch everyone else make mistakes that they complain about, and you can't do a flipping thing!"_

"_Yes…I once had to tell Daniel that ascension wasn't my thing…so…got Selmak with you?"_

"_Sadly, when I died, our souls were separated again…Selmak wasn't offered the opportunity to ascend."_

"_Because of the big guy himself?"_

"_Yep."_

"_So…Jacob, I…I didn't get a chance to talk to you…" Jack began._

"_Before you asked Sam to marry you?"_

"_How'd you know that?"_

"_Jack, I was ascended…you can see a WHOLE lot from the Higher Plane." He said, sipping his coffee with an amused smile. "And…I saw you put the ring in your pocket last night…" He chuckled._

"_Right…"_

"_Jack, I'm not going to give you the whole 'if you hurt her, you'll answer to me' speech, because let's face it…if you hurt her, she'll kill you."_

_Jack swallowed. "And I'll deserve it."_

_Jacob smiled. "Exactly…I'm not worried."_

"_But…what about her career, Jake?"_

"_I'd be lying to you if I said that she wasn't worried about it." Jacob admitted, softly. "But honestly, she'd rather be with you than in the Air Force…"_

"_That's not all of it." Jack said, quietly, as if he was divulging some top secret information._

"_I know." Jacob sighed._

"_She's afraid that she'll leave Suzie motherless."_

_Jacob nodded. "I don't know what to say to that…"_

"_Neither do I."_

"_Except that she should be careful in the field?" Jacob chuckled, sadly._

"_Yeah. And even that isn't half enough."_

"_I know."_

"_But it could happen at any moment…"_

"_Believe me, I know."_

He fidgeted with his tie nervously. She'd resigned her commission, and was now "Dr. Carter," though half of the base personnel still called her Colonel Carter…including Teal'c.

He took a deep breath. She'd sacrificed so much to get this far…she wouldn't leave him standing here, would she?

--

Sam wiped her mouth with a couple of squares of toilet paper. Cassie handed her a tiny cup of mouthwash, and she looked into the paper cup. She sighed. "Jack must be SO petrified." She said, before pouring the liquid into her mouth and swishing it around.

Jacob chuckled. "It's not everyday that you wait for the most gorgeous woman in the world, and the mother of your child, to marry you."

Sam turned pink and spit the mouthwash into the sink quickly. "What?!"

Suzie, dressed in her pale yellow and blue dress ran over. "Mommy! Hurry up! I want everyone to see the pretty petals!"

Jacob picked the five-year-old up. "It won't be long now, sweetie!"

Sam groaned as Cassie turned a questioning glance to her.

"That wasn't just nerves, was it?" Jacob asked as the satisfied girl ran off again.

She reached for the lipstick and quickly applied it, ignoring her father's question. Then, she set the tube down, turned, and gathered her skirts. "I'm ready to go, Dad."

"That's what I thought." He said, grinning.

She composed herself as Cassie got Mark's wife and kids, Cynthia, Matthew and Katelyn, Suzie, and herself into their correct order in front of Sam and Jacob. She signaled to Suzie and Matthew who, as ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle first. Then, Katelyn and Cynthia walked down the aisle as bridesmaids, followed by herself, as maid of honor.

Sam breathed as butterflies started flying in her stomach. She was getting married…she was getting married in just a few minutes…she was getting married to Jack O'Neill.

The very thought made her go somewhat lightheaded, but she calmed herself down enough to walk on her father's arm toward Jack, who was looking somewhat relieved that she had finally chosen to him.

"I'm sorry." She muttered as her father passed her to Jack.

"It's okay." He said, smiling, reassuringly to her.

She grinned as they made their way to the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we gather here today…"

--

They were sent away in a limo, and Sam turned to Jack. "Where are we going?"

He'd determined that he would keep the honeymoon a secret, and hadn't given her so-much as a hint.

"I'm not telling you." He said, kissing her nose.

"Why not?" She pouted.

"You pout?"

"On occasion." She giggled.

Suddenly, they were beamed aboard the Prometheus. "Welcome to the Prometheus, Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill." Colonel Henderson, the new commander of the ship said, smiling.

"Thanks, Walt." Jack said, chuckling at the look he received from his new bride.

"JACK! I am in my wedding dress and I am on the Prometheus!" Sam said, mortified that she wearing her strapless and embroidered wedding gown with a very full skirt on a military craft. EVERYONE around her, except Jack, was wearing some kind of uniform, and even HE was wearing PANTS!

"And?"

"There is something innately WRONG about this picture!"

He looked at her, a very lustful gleam in his eye. "Nothing wrong with it from where I sit…in fact…I might even go so far as to call it perfect."

She blushed as they were beamed back down to Earth. More specifically: to the cabin.

"How did I see that coming?" She asked herself, chuckling.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Jack said, feigning ignorance as he effortlessly picked her up and carried her to their room.

He placed her on the bed, lovingly. "Jack…" She began, almost nervously.

"What?"

"I have something to tell you…"

He raised her eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "I wasn't trying to make you nervous today…"

"Sam, it's okay…I barely remember it now…"

"Well, there was a reason I was late coming down the aisle."

Jack sat down, expecting a talk. He could handle this…he just would have preferred getting to the…more active part of their honeymoon. "Okay…"

"I threw up."

"So you were nervous…" He said, almost relieved. "So was I…"

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Jack, I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened before he grinned. "You are?"

She nodded. "Yeah…"

He smiled as his eyes wandered from her face to her abdomen. "We're going to have a baby?"

"Yeah."

He grinned before leaning over her. "I love you, Mrs. O'Neill…"

He bent down to kiss her as she responded. "I love you too, Mr. O'Neill…"

* * *

_All right, folks...this is the end, but fear not, I already have the sequel under way. It should be up by Monday. Enjoy!_


	11. Epilogue Part I

The morning dawned bright and clear, the sun's rays streamed through to caress Sam's face. At least, that was what it looked like to Jack. She looked positively radiant at almost nine months pregnant. 

She stirred, and her eyes fluttered open to find Jack's chocolate-colored eyes looking into her own. "Hi."

"Hey, gorgeous."

She chuckled. "You're sweet, you know that? You're lying, but you're sweet nevertheless…"

He gave her a passionate kiss and then nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. "Feel gorgeous now?"

He proceeded to plant tiny kisses all along her shoulder and up her neck, back to her lips.

She nodded as they broke the second passionate kiss because of the knock on their door.

"Sounds like the birthday girl's up!" Jack said, smiling. "I'll go fix breakfast. You take your time getting ready."

She returned his smile. "I think I'm going to need it. After all, Junior is limiting my wardrobe. By a LOT."

He chuckled as he opened the door and found Suzie standing there.

"May I help you, Miss O'Neill?"

She giggled and leapt into his arms. "Daddy! It's my birthday!"

"It's your birthday?" He turned to Sam, who had managed to sit up and place her feet on the floor. "Carter, why didn't you tell me that it was Miss O'Neill's birthday today?"

"Well, sir, to be honest, I forgot." She said, smiling at her now-six-year-old daughter.

"Daddy! Mommy!" The little girl squealed.

"Oh? You really thought we could forget?!" He asked, throwing Suzie onto his side of the bed and beginning a tickle-fest.

Sam smiled at the sight, almost craning her neck to watch father and daughter battle to the breath- or loss thereof.

When they both finally laid on the bed, breathing heavily in their exhaustion, Sam turned to her daughter. "Happy birthday, six-year-old!"

She breathed in, sharply, laying one hand on the side of her round stomach. Suzie was instantly at her side. "Did the baby move?"

Sam nodded, took Suzie's hand and placed it where her own had lain. "Your baby brother or sister wanted to say 'happy birthday'."

Suzie's eyes were filled with wonder. "When do we get to see the baby?"

Sam chuckled, somewhat nervously. "I don't know, pumpkin. Soon."

"But you DO know when we get to see Grampa. Why don't you know when we get to see the baby?" The inquisitive child asked.

"Because the baby doesn't know how to talk or write. And if he- or she- did, there wouldn't be a telephone that he- or she- could use to tell us when we'll see him or her." Jack responded, wisely.

"Oh."

Sam laughed at the simple explanation. "Basically, Grampa can tell us when he's going to be here. The baby can't. Well…actually, the baby will tell Mommy when he's coming, but he'll only be able to do that right before he come."

"Like when Uncle Daniel calls when he's getting out of the car at our house?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, sweetie. Something like that."

"So the baby's going to ring the doorbell after he calls Mommy?"

Sam looked at Jack, begging him to help. "Well, actually, Mommy's body is going to tell her when the baby's ready- kind of like the timer when Daddy has something in the oven."

Sam gave him a dirty look and he shrugged, helplessly.

"Then, Mommy and Daddy are going to get the baby from the hospital. Just like Daddy gets the stuff out of the oven."

"Okay." Said the finally satisfied inquisitor. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Yes, sweetie. How about you get out the big mixing bowl and Daddy'll be there in a minute after he talks to Mommy."

She bounded off and Jack turned to face his wife. She glared at him. "An OVEN?! I'M an OVEN!?!?!"

"I'm sorry, honey…I cracked under pressure. Besides, you're a damn sexy oven!" He said, trying to placate her with flattery.

"Oh great!" She teased. "The fate of the planet is in the hands of a man who cracks under the pressure of a fi-six year old…"

"Hey! That six-year-old has something that none of the system lords can even imagine into existence!"

"What?"

"Charm." Then, he puffed out his chest in pride. "She gets it from her father."

"Which would explain why he doesn't have any…"

He looked at her, pretending to be wounded. "Ouch. "

She tried to stand up, but didn't succeed. "You have to admit that from a purely mathematical standpoint, I would be right. Your charm would be dwindling after bequeathing it to three children."

He chuckled. "Okay, I admit it, but I guess I should be grateful that it isn't simply a numbers game, huh? Junior's evidence of that…"

She blushed as Jack helped her stand up, but before either of them could respond, Sam's knees gave in, and she fell back onto the bed with a cry of pain.

"Sam?" Jack asked. Being two days away from her due date had him more than rightly concerned.

She waved her hand. "No…I just…had a bit of a muscle spasm. I'll be fine…now, let's try this again."

"Sam, I think we should have a little home-bound family get-together."

She vehemently shook her head. "This is Suzie's birthday. The first one that she's had since we got married, and we are going to pull out all of the stops."

Jack looked into her eyes when she stood up. "Sam, I'm going to be honest. I'm not sure that you should be going anywhere."

"Jack." She said, placing a hand on his cheek. "I know you're worried. Thank you, but I really want this birthday to be special for Suzie. It's the last one she's going to have where all the adults are only fawning over her. I don't' want to ruin that, so I want you to try to focus on her- not me."

He smiled. "Easier said than done. But I'll try."

--

Sam and Jack took Suzie to the park where Sam sat, watching her husband and daughter play frizbee as she had only two years earlier. SO much had changed so quickly. Suzie had become their daughter a year and a half ago, prompting their marriage nine months later. Now, they were expecting "Junior" and celebrating their daughter's birthday together.

In her opinion, nothing could be more perfect. The infant that she was carrying within her kicked really strongly and she lovingly placed her hand on her large belly, rubbing it in large circles, to calm the baby.

She would never admit her nervousness of the upcoming labor and delivery to anyone except Jack, but she had even downplayed her fears to him. She wasn't just nervous- she was TERRIFIED.

At this point, she was ready to trade the unknown experience of labor and delivery for the known dangers of Netu.

She took a deep breath. On the other hand, there were billions of women from the beginning of the world who had survived childbirth, and even braved the dangers more times than one.

She looked at her watch, absent-mindedly, and realized that it was time to leave and get her father from the base. She stood up awkwardly and walked over to her husband and daughter. "Hey!"

They looked over. "What, Mom?"

"It's time to get Grampa!"

There was a whirl of color as Suzie raced toward the car. Sam and Jack chuckled as he approached her, placing one hand on her back to escort her to the car.

"Somebody's excited to see Jacob." Jack said, smiling.

"Junior is too." Sam said, placing her own arm around Jack's waist. "She's been kicking up a storm."

"She?"

She shrugged. "I really think it's a girl…"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"You're not just trying to outnumber me, are you?"

"Hey, it's not MY fault!" She said, chuckling. "Don't you remember high school biology? If it's a girl…you can thank YOURSELF for that…"

"I didn't ever say I MINDED being surrounded by gorgeous girls…" He said, encircling her with his arms as he kissed her bare neck.

"Jack!" She giggled.

"What?" He asked. "It's not MY fault I married the HOTTEST woman in the universe!"

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Suzie commanded. "Stop playing! Grampa's waiting!"

Jack snapped to attention as Sam giggled. "Yes, ma'am."

Suzie doubled over with laughter as Jack turned back to Sam. "How many times have I told you, Colonel? No giggling…"

"As you wish, mon General." She said, snapping her own salute to him.

"No sir?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Not that I mind, but…if we're going to pretend we're in the Air Force, we might as well stay within regulations." He said, pointedly.

"Oh, you've never really adhered to regs, Jack." He gave her a look of mock affront. "Don't even pretend to be innocent. But- if were to try to adhere to all, which we did for WAY too long, by the way- there's one BIG regulations that we disregarded." She said, rubbing the material of her dress against her large belly.

He laughed. "You've got a point there, Mrs. O'Neill. As usual."

"Hey, what good is a doctorate in astrophysics if you can't pull one over on your husband?" She asked, smiling as she got into the car.

"Remind me to ask your dad if you were always this much trouble."

"Oh, you have NO idea! Let's just say that if Junior takes after me, there'll be a LOT of exploratory appliance surgery."

"Better pay off the credit card now, huh?"

"Oh, don't worry. I can fix it."

"Of course you can."

--

Jack and Sam arrived, Suzie in tow, to the SGC control as the technician announced an incoming wormhole: "We're receiving the Tok'ra IDC, sir."

Jacob had taken another Tok'ra symbiote, Garshaw, after hearing that Yosuuf was dying.

"Open the iris." Jack said, as he walked into the Gate room.

Suzie began to follow her father, but Sam grabbed her shoulders, awkwardly leaning forward as the six-year-old tried to breath free.

"Let go, Mommy! I wanna go with Daddy!"

Daniel turned and saw the awkwardness of Sam's position. He stood in front of Suzie and Sam let go. "You know what, Suzie?"

"What, Uncle Daniel?"

"You need to stay here so you're safe?"

"Why?"

He was saved from answering when Jacob looked up to the control room. "Where's my little butterfly?"

Suzie leapt up, trying to see her Grampa. Daniel picked her up and she waved excitedly to him. As any good grandfather, he returned it with similar enthusiasm.

Sam, Daniel, and Suzie walked down the stairs into the corridor outside the Gate room where they were met by Jack and Jacob. "Uncle Daniel! Put me down!"

"Magic word?" Sam asked, absently.

"Please."

Daniel set her down and she ran into her grandfather's arms. "Grampa! It's my birthday!"

"It's your birthday? You're a big six-year-old now, aren't you?"

She nodded, vigorously, causing all of the adults to chuckle. "Sam!" He said, hugging his daughter. "You look fabulous."

Sam smiled at her father's compliment as a dull pain shot down her back, cutting off a reply.

"Sam, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'm fine."

Jack gave her another look of concern. "Really." She insisted.

Suzie was put down, but she kept a hold on her grandfather's hand as they went to the elevator and rode it up to the surface.

"So, where to?" Jacob asked.

"We're going to lunch. Then, it's naptime for a certain six-year-old I know." Sam said, throwing a smile to her daughter.

"Can we just go home for lunch?" Suzie asked, turning her green eyes to her mother.

Sam looked at Jack suspiciously, but he seemed just as surprised as she was. "Why, sweetie?"

"So Grampa and I can make pigs in a blanket!"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle while Sam glared at her father with a look that said "I'm fine."

He shrugged as he helped Suzie get into the car and ducked inside himself.

"So…presents at seven?" Daniel asked, opening Sam's door and helping her inside.

"Or thereabouts." Jack said, reaching the other side of the car. "Dinner'll probably be at five-thirty or so…"

"Are you going to be able to come?" Sam asked, worriedly.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Teal'c, General Hammond and Cassie?"

"Don't know about General Hammond, but Teal'c and I are picking Cassie up from the airport at four…"

"Great. Well, since you seem so eager to get back to work, we'll let you." Jack said as he ducked into the car.

Daniel shook his head as the family headed back to the O'Neill house.

--

They arrived at the house in fifteen minutes. Both Jacob and Suzie hurried into the house, and Jack went over to help Sam as another weak contraction hit her. She refused to react, knowing that Jack would insist on canceling the day's activities and take her to the infirmary.

"You've been quiet since we left the base." Jack said, closing the door.

"I'm just tired." She admitted.

"Well, go lie down and we'll call you for lunch." He offered.

"I think I'll just have a salad and then lie down."

"A salad?"

"Yeah." She thought for a moment, then turned back to him. "Do we still have the fixings for a taco salad?"

"Yep. You want a taco salad?" He asked, placing his arm around her waist.

"Yeah…but later…" She yawned.

"Junior ready for a nap?"

She nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder before walking into the house. Despite her calm exterior, she laid down with the sinking feeling that "Junior" was getting ready for a lot more than a nap, and that she was going to need all the strength that she could muster.


	12. Epilogue Part II

She could feel someone rifling his hands through her hair. She struggled to ignore it, feeling as if she had just gotten to sleep after an hour of restlessness. 

"Sam." Jack whispered.

She moaned as yet another contraction hit. It was stronger than the ones she'd been having all afternoon. She opened her eyes as Jack repeated her name. "Jack."

"You okay?" He asked, his dark eyes peering into her blue ones.

She sighed. "Will you stop asking me that?"

He chuckled. "Sorry. I'm just a little nervous. It's been a while since I've done this part…"

"What do you need?"

He motioned to the plate on the nightstand. "I thought you might want lunch. After all, it is three…"

"Three?" She asked, trying to sit up.

"Yeah…you've been asleep for a good three and a half hours. And…I think you're running a low grade fever…at least your head felt a little warm…"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Well…you WERE asleep when I came in." He said, grinning.

She returned his smile. "I mean, I couldn't fall asleep easily…"

"Oh.:"

He reached for her plate. "Well…here you go. Taco salad…as ordered."

She took a few bites and set it aside. "I know this sounds weird, but I'm not very hungry."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. How's Suzie?" She said, brushing aside his concern.

"She's in the backyard with your dad. They had a great time fixing lunch, then he and Selmak read her a few stories. Right now, she's playing in her room while your dad grills."

"Did she sleep?" Sam asked, one hand on her stomach as she tried to set her legs on the ground.

"Yeah…for an hour and a half."

She took a deep breath. "Good. Now, it's time to decorate the living room."

"Already done, Carter."

She looked at him, slightly perplexed at his use of her maiden name.

"What? I can't call you "Carter" anymore?"

"No…that's not it…"

"Good. 'Cuz that's always been a term of endearment to me…"

She laughed as he kissed the crook of her neck. "That's how it's always felt to me too."

Before he pulled away, she grimaced at the pain of the next contraction. Her eyes wandered to the clock on the nightstand: 3:16 PM. A little more than ten minutes after the last one. "So…you and Dad decorated the house?" She asked, rubbing the lower part of her round belly.

"Yeah." Jack said, pulling away so that he could study his wife. "Daniel and Teal'c are going to pick up the cake after they pick Cassie up from the airport."

"Presents?"

"Check. Wrapped at the store."

She looked at his cheesy grin and burst into tears. "I feel so useless!"

"What?" Jack asked, genuinely surprised at her outburst.

"My mom took care of the birthdays, and here I am just sitting around while you, Cassie, Daniel, Teal'c and Dad take care of everything!"

"You don't just sit here." Jack protested.

"No. I eat, sleep and complain about being fat!" She sobbed, trying to smile through her tears. It wasn't working very well.

He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as he did so. "Sara got to this point with Charlie, and I'm gonna tell you what I told her: there are lots of things that we can do for you- maybe not as well as you can do them, but we can do them nonetheless. However, there is one thing we CANNOT do for you. Sadly, the task of being pregnant cannot be delegated."

She laughed. "Are you saying that you'd be nine months pregnant for me?"

"I could, you know I would." He responded, whole-heartedly.

"I'm sorry, Jack, I just…" Jack placed his finger on her lips, ending her apology.

"Don't apologize. You're two days away from your due date. You're scared, uncomfortable and a myriad of other things."

She stopped crying in surprise. "How…?"

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you're uncomfortable, Sam. And- I'm terrified, so I can only imagine how scared YOU must be. As for the other stuff, I don't know for SURE, but I'm guessing you're happy and excited underneath everything else, but…that's just a guess…"

He had read her like an open book- a skill he'd had since they'd met in the briefing room so many years before. She returned to his embrace. "I love you, Jack O'Neill." She whispered.

He stroked her hair. "I love you too, Mrs. O'Neill."

After a few moments, they moved from their bedroom to the living room where Sam sat on the couch and Jack opened the back door. "Jake, you done yet?"

"Almost, Jack." Jacob said, flipping yet another round of burgers on the grill. "You know, it's been quite a while since I've done this…"

"I know, Jake…but it's like riding a bike…tying your shoe…"

"Daddy!" Suzie called, running out to her dad.

"Speaking of six-year-olds who can tie their shoes…how's my birthday girl?" Jack said, turning and picking his daughter up as he swung her around. Sam smiled at the sight. Suzie loved Jack SO much, and he returned her love, and more, if possible.

"Daddy! Put me down!" She said, giggling.

He acquiesced as the door bell rang.

"I'll get it!" She yelled, running toward the door.

"Hold it, little lady!" Jack called, running to catch up with her.

"Daddy, PLEASE!" She begged.

He nodded, really only wanting to be there in case it wasn't Danny, T or Cassandra. Sure enough, the trio stood on the doorstep. "Uncle Danny! Uncle T! Cassie!" She screamed, so excited about all of the attention she was getting.

Cassie chuckled as Suzie grabbed her hand and dragged her into her room, where she'd been playing with the balloons Jack had placed in there the night before while she'd been sleeping. "Hi, Jack…bye Jack…"

"I see how it is…the six-year-old gets first dibs, huh?"

"Apparently." Daniel laughed, the chocolate cake with balloons and a giant six on it in white and pink frosting in his hands.

"Here, Danny, let me take that for ya…"

"Don't let him!" Sam called. "He'll eat it before we can put candles on it and have Suzie make a wish…"

"I think I better put this in the kitchen." Daniel agreed.

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson."

"Hey…" Jack protested.

Sam managed to make it to the stairs. "Come on, Jack…it's chocolate cake…you wouldn't be able to resist for long…"

"That's true." He laughed as he went and put his arm around his wife.

"How do you fare, Colonel Carter?"

She sighed heavily. "Ask me AFTER I've had the baby, T."

"That bad, huh?" Daniel asked, returning from the kitchen.

"Not…bad…necessarily…" She finished lamely.

The men eyed her with knowing eyes.

"Okay…it hasn't been a…good day…"

"Burgers are done!" Jacob called, saving Sam from her friends' scrutiny.

"I'll get the girls." Sam said, wordlessly telling her husband to take the guys outside.

"Okay." He said, kissing her lips tenderly. "See you in a few…"

She nodded as she walked down the hallway to where Suzie was tossing balloons with Cassie.

"Hey, girls…"

"Mommy!" Suzie said, running over with a balloon hugged to her tummy. "I'm gonna have a baby like you!" She said, smiling proudly.

Sam laughed. "Really?"

She nodded.

"Well, your grampa has dinner ready."

"Jack's going to freak if she tries the baby thing on him…" Cassie said, watching with Sam as she ran down the hallway, balloon in hand.

Sam laughed. "I almost wish I could move fast enough to see his reaction."

"How are you doing?"

She turned to the eighteen year old. "Well…other than the fact that I'm an elephant…I'm fine."

"You're not an elephant, Sam." She said, grinning as she gave Sam kind of a half-hug.

"Whatever you say." She said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you go eat? I'll be back in a minute."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Please don't join Jack's "spy on Sam" group…" She said, wryly. "I'm fine."

"Okay…" Cassie said, somewhat skeptically.

"I'm just not hungry…"

"Ah." She said, understanding dawning. "Okay."

"I'll see you guys in a minute." She said, smiling.

"All right." Cassie said, down the hall to join everyone.

Meanwhile, Sam walked into the room she shared with Jack. Her contractions had gotten to be ten minutes apart, and she was fairly certain that this was the "real" thing. She reached down, awkwardly for her bag. She wanted to double-check that everything was there. It wouldn't hurt to be ready…just in case…

--

As she walked over to the patio, the doorbell rang, and she opened the door. "Sam!" George Hammond greeted, giving her a hug.

"General!"

"Please…I'm retired…it's George." He laughed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Just waiting." She said, smiling as she closed the door.

"More patiently than her husband." Jack said, reaching the door.

"No surprise there." George laughed as they walked out to the patio.

"And your implication would be…" Jack asked, an eyebrow raised.

He chuckled. "No implication, Jack."

"He's saying that you have less patience than Sam." Cassie said, cheekily.

Everyone laughed, hiding Sam's sharp intake of breath at the contraction.

"She has a point there." Sam said, shrugging off the persistent looks of concern.

"The women's solidarity movement strikes again." Jack cried, mock hurt in his eyes.

"And you have many years of it to come, my friend." Jacob said as Suzie stood up and walked to where Jacob, George and Jack stood, talking.

"Well, at least I know Suzie will NEVER do something like that to her old man, right?" He asked, reaching over to hug her.

"No, Dad! I want Uncle George!"

The adults chuckled as Jack gave a mock look of hurt. "Suzie! You've broken my heart!"

She gave him a charming smile. "Cry me a river!"

Everyone was laughing while Sam was hit with another contraction, much closer to the other than before. So much for this day being all about Suzie.

"Time for presents, Kiddo!" Jacob said, noticing that they were mostly finished with their meals.

"George, I can get you a burger, if you want…" Jack offered.

"Maybe later…" The old General said, smiling as he held his surrogate granddaughter.

"YES!" She said, excited.

They walked back into the house where Sam settled onto the couch. "Jack, toss me that pillow, will you?" She asked, before he sat.

"Sure." He said, tossing the pillow to her before sitting next to her and placing his arm around her shoulders and laid another on her stomach. "Well, Suze, let's get this party started!"

"Yeah!" She said, running to the small pile of presents on the coffee table.

She picked up one of the carefully wrapped presents and studied the tag.

"Who's it from, sweetheart?"

"Da-ni-el." She sounded out. Suddenly, a grin broke onto her face as her eyes lit up. "It's from Uncle Daniel!"

She tore through the wrapping paper and found a book. She ran to Daniel and jumped onto his lap. "What's it say?!"

"A Child's Guide To Ancient Egypt."

"Do you just have a stack of those books, Danny?" Jack asked, turning an amused smile to his friend.

"What?" The archaeologist asked, confused. "No!"

"Really? 'Cuz you gave ME the same book…only I was fifteen years old." Cassie said, laughing.

"Hey…you guys know I'm not good with gifts…" Daniel said, reddening.

Sam shifted her weight, rearranging the pillows behind her. "Don't worry about it, Daniel. Just as long as you don't get this baby the same thing…"

The archaeologist studied her carefully. He may not have delivered more than three babies, but she seemed a great deal more uncomfortable than she was admitting to anyone. "Trust me, Sam…that's not what I was planning on doing…for now, anyway…"

She managed a grin as Jack turned to her. "What's wrong?" He whispered in her ear.

"Nothing." She responded a little too quickly.

"You've been out of sorts all day. What's going on?"

He placed one hand on her abdomen in an embrace, but actually felt the next contraction. "Sam…" He whispered, worriedly.

"I know." She said, silencing him as Suzie came over to them with her arms outstretched. "Thank you, Daddy, for the new bike!"

He pulled his arm out from around his wife, and gave his little girl a big hug. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

She placed a tender kiss on his cheek before turning around to find Teal'c standing behind her, holding out his own gift.

"Sam…" Jack said, nervously, a few minutes later.

"Jack." She returned.

"Shouldn't we…go?"

"Jack, I've got hours of labor planned for today. I think I'll be fine for a little more birthday."

"We leave after presents."

"After she goes to bed."

"After cake." He said, as she was caught by another contraction by surprise and grabbing Jack's bicep in pain.

"Deal." She groaned.

"Mommy! I got a laptop! Like you!" Suzie cried, racing over to give her a hug.

Almost all of the adults braced for collision, but as her dad called her name, Suzie slowed down and gave Sam a gentle hug and kiss. "Thank you, Mommy."

"Now, when I'm on my laptop, you can help me." Sam said forcing a smile.

"I think it's time for Jack's favorite part." Jacob said, a twinkle in his eye.

"CAKE!" Suzie shouted as she ran to the kitchen, followed by her grandfather, Cassie and Teal'c.

Jack moved to help Sam off the couch, but his timing was bad, and she groaned, staying there. He dropped to his knees. "Are you okay?"

She had tears in her eyes. She shook her head, and he reached out to her. She placed her arms around his neck, and he helped her kneel on the floor, suspending her belly between them. His hands rubbed her back as she suffered through the contraction.

"Sam…we need to get you to the infirmary." Daniel said, wisely.

She nodded. "My bag's in the bedroom."

"Are you coming?" Suzie asked from the kitchen.

"We'll be there in a minute." Sam responded, forcing a smile.

"Sam…"

"Jack." She whispered harshly. He nodded and helped her up. Both he and Daniel helped her up the stairs where Suzie was waiting to blow her candles.

Jacob, Teal'c, George, and Cassie could see the effort that Sam was making to be there, but they all wisely said nothing.

"Okay, Suzie…it's time to blow out your candles." Sam said, forcing a smile as she leaned on Jack, her arm around his waist, and his around hers.

"You have to sing first!" The girl protested.

"That's right." Daniel said, quickly leading the group in a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday To You."

She grinned as she took a deep breath and blew out all of the candles. Almost immediately, Daniel headed to the master bedroom where he got Sam's back, and Cassie helped Suzie cut the cake. Just then, however, a bright light engulfed Jack and George, and Jacob and Teal'c hurried to support Sam, who felt as thought she wanted to start sobbing but instead turned her eyes heavenward. "DAMMIT THOR!"

Suzie looked up at her mother in absolute surprise. "Mommy, you said a bad word!"

Cassie picked the six-year-old up. "Suzie, your mommy didn't mean it…how about you and I play in your room?"

"Is Mommy okay?"

"She's fine." Jacob said, looking at his granddaughter. "But she needs to go and get your baby brother or sister from the hospital."

"Oh." She said, nodding in acceptance. "Can you make it a baby sister?" She asked, innocently.

Sam's hormones took her for another spin, and she burst into tears. Cassie took the child from the room. "Let's go play…"

"Sam, it's okay." Jacob comforted.

"I just…I want him here…" She admitted as her dad gave her a hug.

"O'Neill will do everything in his power to return before the birth of his child." Teal'c replied, knowingly.

"Thank you." She said as Daniel returned with her bag.

"Where's Jack?" The archaeologist questioned. "Where's General Hammond?"

"We think Thor beamed them up…"

"Oh boy." Daniel said, eying Sam as the next contraction overtook her.


	13. Epilogue Part III

"DAMMIT THOR!" Jack yelled as he saw the familiar surroundings of the Asgard ship. 

"O'Neill." The tiny gray alien greeted. "We have been monitoring Colonel Carter's health, and we apologize that we have need of your help at the time of your child's impending birth."

"Commander Thor," George said, walking over to the alien. "What do you need? And is there any way I can help you so you can let Jack get back to Sam?"

Another creature with a physiology similar to the Asgard, except that she was obviously a she, stepped out from behind the console. She was no taller than Thor, wore a silver gown that reached her feet, was more of a silver color, and had red, fiery eyes that contrasted with her long flowing brown hair. "I am Jamilijh." She replied.

"Okay, Jenny…" Jack said, purposefully butchering her name.

She considered this for a moment, sharing a look with Thor. Then, she nodded. "This is an acceptable rendering of my name."

"Okay." Jack said, surprised. "Thor…did you want to formally introduce us?"

"I am more than capable of introducing myself." She said, taking a few steps toward him. "I am of the Furlings."

"YOU'RE one of the Furlings?" George Hammond asked, surprised. He'd never been one of the first ones to encounter new alien races, and it got his blood boiling to be a part of the action again.

She nodded, turning to the retired General. "You must be General George Hammond. Thor has told me of his great respect for you."

George turned to Thor, who actually blushed a little at the revelation. "I have great respect for you as well, Thor."

"Thank you." He said, quickly moving to the console.

"I have need of SG-1." Jenny said, walking over to where Thor stood.

"Well…there are only two members who could help at all…"

"You are mistaken, O'Neill." Jenny said, turning to face the man. "You and your wife will be a large part of this as well."

Jack rubbed his forehead. "I know the Asgard have problems understanding this whole…reproduction…thing, but…I don't know anything about the Furlings…"

"We have not encountered the same problems as the Asgard." She said, looking down at the floor.

"Okay…so you know what I mean when I say my wife is down on Earth…in LABOR…right?"

She looked down at her feet, which were clad in tiny silver shoes before turning sorrowful eyes to him. "And you will understand, O'Neill, when I say that my entire civilization is in danger of being erased from existence."

--

Dr. Natalie Brightman walked into the isolation room to find Sam holding her dad and Daniel's hands while Teal'c stood guard outside. "Colonel Carter."

"Dr. Brightman." She said through gritted teeth.

"We're going to check how far along in the labor process you are, but the contractions seem to be nice and strong."

"NICE?" She asked. "NICE?! This is ANYTHING but NICE!"

Natalie placed a soothing hand on her leg. "From what I can tell, you're more than halfway there, but…I'm not one-hundred percent sure."

"Just check!" She ordered.

A few seconds later, Natalie stood. "Okay, Sam, you're at seven and a half centimeters. We just need another two and a half before I can let you start pushing, okay?"

She turned to Teal'c. "Go find out if there's any word on where my husband went…"

He nodded. "Very well, Colonel Carter."

She turned to her dad. "I know this wasn't exactly the plan, but…thanks for being here…"

"Anytime, kiddo." He said, rubbing her arm gently.

"You too, Daniel." She said, turning to him.

"Hey…we're practically family…they'd have to fight me away…"

She gave a small smile as she felt another pang of longing for her husband. The one person she wanted there that wasn't there.

"Sam, if any of us could change places with him with just a wish, there'd be several of him." Daniel reassured.

She nodded. "Thanks."

--

President Henry Hayes was a fairly cool and level-headed guy. Sure, he'd thought the Stargate program had been a joke to begin with, and he'd blinked more than once when one of his vice president's staff members placed some rather incriminating evidence against his running mate on his desk, but overall, he could keep his head in stressful situations.

His secret service, on the other hand, was a little…overprotective. So, when he was beamed away from a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of the Air Force, all hell broke loose in the White House.

--

"What the hell just happened?!" He asked, as he reached the Asgard ship.

"Mr. President." Jack said, smiling as he greeted the man. "We have a matter of national…even world…security to discuss with you."

"Jack! Long time no see! How ya doin'?"

"I'm good." Jack said, nodding. "My wife's on Earth having a baby, but other than that, I'm GREAT."

"And you're here?!" Henry asked, surprised.

"Thor hasn't let me go yet."

"President Hayes." Thor greeted, bowing to the man.

"Thor!" He said, looking a great deal like Jack. "Nice to see YOU too!"

"Mr. President." George greeted.

"George! Wow, this must have been a fun party to plan…"

"Yes, sir…it was." Jack said, turning to Jenny. "This is Jenny. She's a Furling. Jenny, this is our President."

"Mr. President." She said, bowing before him. "It is an honor to meet the leader of such a…resourceful planet."

"I'm just the leader for one nation…" He corrected gently. "And we have damn good people actually running the program." He said, motioning to Jack.

"This I have noticed." She said, nodding to Jack in respect.

"Mr. President, I would like to temporarily take Jack's place. Let him go back to be with his wife…"

"O'Neill and his wife are necessary for the formation of our alliance." Jenny said, her eyes flashing in annoyance.

"Wait a minute here, folks! What alliance?"

"The Furlings here, are apparently on the brink of utter annihilation and would like our help. However, they don't do business with people unless they have an alliance with them…"

"And…you're here because?" The President asked, confused.

"An alliance can only be brokered through another race. A time-treasured ally, such as the Asgard."

"Ah."

"And the Asgard will only deal with SG-1."

"Well, that's not exactly true…" General Hammond said, to clarify. "I've dealt with the Asgard as well…"

"So have I." The President offered.

"But only O'Neill carries the gene that shows the advancement of the human race."

"What?" Jack asked, surprised.

"The Ancient gene?" General Hammond queried.

"Yes." Thor nodded.

"There are dozens of people with that gene!" Jack protested.

"But they are not currently residing within your galaxy."

"So? We have a way to get 'em back home."

Thor sighed. "O'Neill. I am sorry that this has happened at this time, but we must have you and your team for the finalization of the alliance."

"When is this supposed annihilation supposed to take place?" Hayes asked, his "problem solving" hat on.

"The ships will arrive within the day."

"Calling on us a little late, don't ya think?" Jack asked, sarcastically.

"What enemy are we dealing with?" Hammond asked, strategically focused.

"They are of our own creation." Jenny said, obviously shamed that she had to say such a thing.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"We had heard of the Asgard problems with reproduction."

"Oh…this does NOT bode well…" Jack said, wincing.

"We began genetic experiments, and slowly, we began to believe that we had made great advances…"

"Great advances, you say?" Jack asked, faking a sense of interest.

"O'Neill." Thor said, prompting the man's silence.

"Sorry, Thor."

"We created a race of beings that were similar to the Asgard's original physiology and yet could maintain their massive intellect."

"Wow…"

"It was a feat we had begun celebrating when they turned upon us."

"Wait…what?"

"We had downloaded the consciousnesses of many Asgard into the bodies of these individuals believing that there would be no backfire. That the Asgard and their genetic alters would thank us for the work we had done on their behalf."

"Didn't happen, did it?"

"No, it did not. The alters were…aggressive."

"Aggressive?"

Thor looked over at them. "The hormones we had found in your genetic makeup were…given in greater dosage believing that we would need to make up for the larger amount of intellect…"

"You were working on this too, Thor?"

"It was my alter in which this…flaw…was discovered."

"YOU had an alter?"

He nodded, stealing a glance at Jenny. "I felt compelled to…be very involved in this project."

Jenny looked down at the floor, shamefully. The interchange did not go unnoticed.

"So…you two are…"

"Before the Asgard found themselves in their current position, Thor and I were…" She paused, unable to bring herself to say the word.

"We were lovers, O'Neill." Thor finished.

Jack's eyes widened. He'd NEVER thought he'd see the day.

"Really? Well, that's…Lovers, ya say?"

"Than you both know what it's like for Colonel Carter at this momentous time. She needs Jack." George said, sincerely. "Take me, take the rest of SG-1, but leave Jack behind."

Thor looked at Jenny before they both nodded. "All right."

"Thanks, buddy…" Jack said, not without a sigh of relief.

"We will, however, require Dr. Jackson and Teal'c." Thor responded.

"You got 'em, buddy…they are SO here!"

"We will, however, still need you and Colonel Carter for the formalization of the alliance." Jenny repeated.

"We'll be there…in a few weeks…after we've got your problem under control. Thor, buddy…ya wanna hit that button, yet?"

Thor nodded in acquiescence, and suddenly, Jack was by his wife's side while Daniel and Teal'c found themselves onboard the ship. "Uh…hi…Thor…General Hammond, Mr. President…"

"This is Jamilijh." Thor began.

--

As Teal'c walked into the room, bearing the sorry news that Jack had not been heard from yet, he and Daniel were beamed out of the room. "DAMM-" She began, before a familiar hand took hers. "Sorry I was gone so long, Sam. But Thor and Jenny decided to brief the President…on Thor's ship…"

"You're here!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're really here!"

"Yes, I am." He said, holding her close.

--

Thor beamed General Hammond and the President back to Earth, and within a few minutes, Jenny, Thor, Daniel, and Teal'c were on their way to the Furling Homeworld. It wasn't very long before they saw another ship in the distance. "I wish for you to try to reason with these creatures."

Daniel took a deep breath. "Do what?"

"Speak to these creatures. They are the Asgard's top minds, so they must not be too difficult to reason with, and I am told that you have a remarkable gift for persuasion, Dr. Jackson."

"What happens if they shoot me?" He asked, raising his hand. "Just a question…"

"I will send you by hologram."

"Of course you will." Daniel said, biting his lip. "Okay…beam me up Scottie!"

"I am unfamiliar with your phrase, Dr. Jackson."

"Never mind…just…send me on over…"

--

"Okay, Sam, you're at a ten…you can go ahead and push now."

Her body began pushing of its own volition. "I'm pushing, dammit!"

"You're doing so great, Sam." Jack gushed as she squeezed the life out of his hand. "Come on…you can do it…"

--

"Uh…hi…" Daniel said, as the hologram focused, and he saw a man in the ship. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

"I know who you are." The baritone voice answered clearly. "I am Thor, supreme commander of the Asgard Fleet."

"Uh…that's what I wanted to talk to you about…"

The man stepped out of the shadows, and Daniel gasped. It was…Jack…

"Uh…wow…I didn't realize how, uh…close you were to Jack…"

"His body was the closest thing to our perfect model." He said, stepping toward the projection.

"Ah…"

"I know why you're here."

"You do…well, that's great…"

"You want me to give up my fight against the Furlings."

"That'd be nice."

"I will not." He said, turning, his fur cape flying in the wind triggered by his movement.

"Look…I know it's probably not any of my business, but I think you have a reason for attacking this planet…why don't you just tell me what it is."

"I do not believe you would understand."

"Trust me…I've seen quite a few things in my life…"

"Then, you will understand when I tell you that this is a story of betrayal."

"Betrayal? That's…that's actually a VERY common way to start a war…"

"She created me so that she could love me…but she never stopped loving him…"

"Thor." Daniel said, turning to face the others behind him. "Jenny created YOU to carry his consciousness, yet…she never stopped loving him…"

"You have indeed seen much, Dr. Jackson."

"Thor…you have to understand…"

"No, Dr. Jackson, YOU must understand. If that was not enough, the woman that I love will live for thousands of years, of her own strength. My consciousness has only survived that long by placing myself in a new body every time I was ill…I will NEVER be with her until she dies. He may be, but I…I will never stay that long…"

Daniel looked at the man in a new light. "This happened against your will…"

He shook his head. "No. But I did not understand what I was getting myself into. Now…my race will be forced to endure it. In the name of survival, we will submit ourselves to death once more…"

Daniel just looked at the man. "I'm…I'm sorry…"

"My body is not my own," He said, flexing his fingers. "My love…does not love me, and…I can only look forward to being second best until my other self dies. If that day ever truly comes…"

"So…you're going to destroy her."

He shook his head. "No…I could never bring myself to do so. But I need to convince the Council that there is something gravely wrong with the genetics."

"Or they'll keep trying this line of experiments…"

He nodded.

"I think there's someone you need to talk to." He said, getting off the pedestal for a moment. Suddenly, Thor was before himself.

"Thor."

"Thor."

"I understand that you are unhappy as the alter."

The alter rolled his eyes. "What gave you that impression?"

"You have chosen to exhibit some of O'Neill's…stranger habits."

"You made me look like him…why should I not act like him?"

"Are you unhappy that I chose for you the greatest form of the humans?"

"I want to look like myself. If not like you, then like the man I was several hundred years before this happened!"

"You know as well as I do that there was no remnant of the body left over. Before our mistake was discovered, we cast aside the bodies of ourselves with little regard to its study."

"Then, you should have allowed Jamilijh to use her knowledge of genetics to reproduce me in the manner that SHE remembers. She refuses to come near me…"

Thor was stunned. His feelings for Jamilijh had softened so that he would not have responded in such a jealous fashion. "I do not understand…"

"She created me so that she could love me…and yet, she loves you…"

Thor's large black eyes were filled with understanding. "Allow me to leave you for a moment."

"I have no choice…"

--

Sam gritted her teeth as she pushed for what seemed the zillionth time.

"Okay, Sam…take a few deep breaths and relax for me, okay?"

She nodded, feeling the sweat roll down her face.

"Sam, you're doing GREAT!"

She just breathed as she held Jack's hand, and closed her eyes, trying to focus her energies on relaxing.

"Okay, Sam…you ready?"

She nodded before Jacob and Jack helped her to lift herself and push again.

--

The hologram started again. "Thor." The gentle voice of Jamilijh began.

He looked up. "Jamilijh."

"It is me."

"Why do you come here?"

"Because I have refused to look at you. I knew that this happiness may never last, and I was afraid to allow myself to feel you in my arms again."

"It will not last." He said, punching the console. "I have less life than you do…"

She shook her head. "That is not true, my love."

He turned. "What?"

"That is not…"

He stopped her with the wave of his hand. "No…what did you call me?"

"My love." She said, with tenderness.

"Oh, my Jamilijh. I have missed you these few months."

"And for that, I am deeply sorry. But I had been afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of the emotion I had learned not to feel."

"Why?"

"I am ill, Thor. I have reached the last century of my life…"

"As have I." He said, wishing he could touch her face. "Will we not live that last century together?"

"Let down your shield." She ordered.

"What?"

"Let down your shield."

Thor looked to the console and then to the place where the hologram had stood. He finally let down his shields.

Just then, a flash of light momentarily blinded him, and before he could recover, he felt two arms snake around his neck, and a mouth reach longingly for his lips.

"My love." He whispered before giving into the sweet ecstasy that had been his, and would be his again.

--

On the other ship, Thor turned to Daniel and Teal'c. "We…must return you to your planet." He sighed.

"Thor…"

"Yes, Dr. Jackson?"

"You did a really nice thing back there."

He looked at the floor, showing the most of the little emotion the Asgard did show. "She deserved better than me…and now…she has more than I can give." He said, turning back to the console.

--

"I see the baby's head!" Natalie said, excitedly. "Now, just a few more pushes."

Sam pushed again.

"Another."

There was another push.

"Just one more…"

Sam groaned as she pushed with the last of her strength. A baby's wail filled the room as Natalie pulled it from Sam's womb.

"It's a girl!" She said, joyfully.

Sam began crying tears of joy as Jack placed his forehead against hers, following the tender gesture with a kiss.

A few minutes later, Grace Evelyn O'Neill was resting in her mother's arms.

"She's so beautiful." Sam said, tiredly.

"Yes…yes, she is…" He said, before kissing her again. "Thank you, Mrs. O'Neill."

"You helped." She said, chuckling.

"Ah…but you just delivered a perfect baby…"

She nodded. "She is perfect, isn't she?"

"She's got ten fingers, ten toes, one mouth, a nose, two ears, two eyes…of course, she's perfect." He said, gliding his finger over his newest daughter's tightly closed fist. "Absolutely perfect."

That night, Sam and Jack slept in the isolation room with Grace, while Jacob went back to the O'Neill house, bringing the news of the baby's arrival with him.

So, at seven-thirty in the morning, Suzie bounded into the isolation room, balloons in one hand. "Hi, MOMMY!" She cried, happily.

Sam, who had been awoken by the SFs when Cassie, Jacob and Suzie pulled into the parking lot, turned to her daughter. "Hi, sweetheart." She whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because your daddy and the baby are still sleeping."

"Can I hold my baby sister?" She asked, quietly.

"In a little while. But how about you sit up here with me…"

"Okay."

Jacob, Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassie walked into the room, each carrying a miscellaneous article. "Congratulations, Sam!" Daniel said, giving her a hug.

"Thanks, Daniel." She said, grinning. "If you all can wait a few minutes, I'll let Suzie hold Grace and then…you'll each get turns…"

Jack awoke quickly. "Whoa…"

"Hey, sleepyhead." Sam teased. "Wanna bring the baby over so the newest big sister can hold her?"

He blinked, erasing the sleep from his eyes as he nodded. He picked Grace up and carried her over to where Suzie was waiting. "Say hello to your big sister, Grace." He said, tenderly.

"She's my baby sister?" Suzie asked, looking up into her dad's eyes, the baby sitting in Jack's hands on Suzie's lap.

"That's right." Sam said, proudly watching her daughters together. "You can give her a kiss on the forehead if you want…just be careful."

She nodded, solemnly before leaning over and kissing the baby's forehead. "I love you." She whispered. "And you're going to LOVE mommy and daddy! And Cassie, and Uncle Daniel, and Uncle Teal'c, and Grampa, and Uncle George! You're just going to love EVERYBODY!"

Jack turned to Sam with a grin. He winked at her before looking back at Suzie, still prattling on about the things she was going to teach her baby sister about. It was then that Jacob, Cassie, Daniel and Teal'c realized that they were seeing something Sam and Jack hadn't even dared to dream of only a few years earlier: a family. Their OWN family.

* * *

_ That's all, folks! Hoped you enjoyed it...three part Epilogue and all! Read and review if you please!_


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